Story Highlights

Our Vision and Strategies in Kenya

The Nature Conservancy strives to build resilient human and natural communities in Kenya that are better equipped to adapt to an uncertain future that will include drought, economic shocks, and political change.

We help strengthen governance, diversify economies, improve natural resource management, and build peace and security. Here’s how TNC takes on some of Kenya’s most complex environmental challenges:

SUPPORTING Community-based Conservation

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) provides support for 33 community conservancies representing 480,000 people across 10.8 million acres in northern Kenya’s rangelands. NRT conservancies provide a foundation of solid governance so that communities are equipped to address the many challenges they face.

We're also providing essential support to the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA), a regional association representing conservancies within the Maasai Mara landscape of southwest Kenya. We helped develop a blueprint for wildlife habitat and conservation, which for the first time brought together stakeholders to decide how to approach infrastructure development and conservation. In 2016, we helped secure a $4.1 million grant from USAID.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES

NRT-Trading is a for-profit social enterprise that brings economic opportunities to the people in NRT’s conservancies.

The Livestock to Markets (GrazingWORKS) program purchases cattle from largely Samburu pastoralists for a fair price, transports them to quarantine areas, and fattens them for sale in the Nairobi market. In exchange for increased market access, participating communities agree to employ grazing practices that improve rangeland quality and generate benefits for cattle, pastoralists and wildlife.

The BeadWORKS program empowers women, helps them to diversify their income, and reduces reliance on livestock and natural resources. More than 1,200 women are involved with the program, and their beaded handicrafts are sold online and in stores in the U.S., Australia, and other locations.

OceanWORKS is an NRT-Trading pilot project on Kenya’s north coast that enables fishermen to make more money with fewer fish, reducing over-harvesting on near-shore reefs.

TNC is helping NRT expand these successful programs to diversify income streams and enhance the health of natural resources in NRT conservancies.

Both properties provide habitat for hundreds of bird and mammal species, sit in an elephant movement corridor, and are held in a community trust for the benefit of future generations.

Reducing ELEPHANT Poaching

TNC is taking a multi-pronged approach to addressing the elephant poaching crisis: increasing front-line security, protecting movement corridors, working with local communities, and reducing the demand for ivory.

For example, our partnership with Save the Elephants — an organization that collars and tracks elephant movement — involves analyzing valuable data to improve wildlife security and gauge the impact of community conservation efforts in Kenya.

AFRICA'S FIRST WATER FUND

The Tana River supplies water to more than 9 million people, including 4 million people in the capital of Nairobi, and provides half of the country’s hydropower. In order to protect this important water source, and provide positive benefits to tens of thousands of farmers, TNC adapted its successful Water Fund model to launch the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund.

Large water users — including Nairobi’s water and electricity utilities, Coca-Cola, and others — invest in a fund that supports upstream conservation projects led by partners such as the Green Belt Movement.

Enhancing Enabling Policy

KWCA brings together private and community interests to create a national constituency of community conservation organizations. It will help to inform national policy and increase coordination among individual conservation organizations working in Kenya.

Sharing Skills and Knowledge

We are maximizing our conservation impact in Africa by joining TNC’s expertise and global reach with the established presence and homegrown knowledge of our varied partners.

Our history of success and our diverse partnerships give us great hope for the future. Together, we can overcome the challenges ahead to help improve the quality of life for Africa’s people and conserve some of the most extraordinary lands and waters on Earth.

The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.